Apparatus for consolidating plastic materials by means of internally applied vibrations



2,292,733 Y MEANS Aug. 11, 1942.

R. W. BAILY V 1 APPARATUS FOR CONSOLIDATING PLASTIC MATERIALS BY OF INTERNALLY APPLIED VIBRATIONS Filed July 7, 1941 l a I v rh' "I A v tions i'or subjecting: the entiremass of a payesethas occurredwill bevibratedl ait vconsid eraple;

- iframe. the -vibrators being operatedflby off-the plastic materiaLtoj arpredeterminedfieleel A MATERIALS! BX MEANSH o NTEBNAILL,

w W- Y wa e t o.;= i.hr d' p rt cu a ly. mac fo -co mai 9 e e e' d .-.1eve -Qfi the luri W 9 he s $0 t at-itcis br shttpia-p p grade fll .:One of thetobjects oiqmyj-inyentio to pro;

vide a new; and; improved, durableand inexpensivelz ppar t i0 con ol in W l fiifi a s: y t rn l y d v at n 1.: V l

othe obi t lp y rde; a. ap a atu i9? 11 consolidating plastic materials ,by-,-- ,1subjecting spaced points ,thereot to internally. applied yibra;.-; c o shxcm e i s por i embet atin u i y o vibrators 1 1 61. de e d ng-th w rom .sm ha h Y-w 1 ea$ P- oveflandamu i a obstructions such as reinforcing bars, tnec sup porting member being movable-to successive posiment on the like to the vibrations inasmuch a s the concrete while; still plastic and before in itial Y, tance from the {points t -wirhich the vibrating elements-are inserted. 1

;-;-Anotlrer object is vto provide L a" m proved a u i u mat untan items e ou a s-ar an d to bep o el dab g Powe v by manual means along a concrete slab, whiclnin; corporates oneor rnor ev vibratorsarranged to V be Pr l ed th u th d en ma lt fine ,c f mi -9.1 ing jout -of balance. weight associated .wv I h each v bt tpale e. axi 1-. zt w n ance weightbeing eitherinclined frorn tl orizontal o ap xim t l hQri 2t 1-:. Jti pnts mn eteq h tt e v ra orp v w s y'hew e o 'vholly submerged the roadwaylrnaterial,

, Also among the objec isgto pro de, where;oc casion requires itra seqond niemtjer attached-to the carriage and-above or bel ind oi; p artly'l'abov and a l in h n e quslx e i i fibre: c: t r h e nd m b bei a cr edcl s m and ens'edtot vfl across: e mater al ata selected distance above thegrade mr'striking Am g e, u th y lect r mygnrs fi ventlon 1s m'pr'oviae j:..meanS 1dr .egitgtmgme entire mass. to its; 11:11 'depthj over a ;.fr'e lativel y short period of time-thus providing less oppor 50 Some methods agitate the concrete m'assto'lts producing a'condition called laitance. This produces a surface skin which is weak and tends to scale off, leaving the concretesurface rough and I imperfect.

I have found that by applying the vibratory energy to the interior of the mass ofmateria l, at closely spaced'locations andto the full depth of the mass the concrete thereby receives uniform vibrating treatment throughits full depth, eliminating all voids, expelling entrapped air and sur plus water, and giving to ,the massof concrete the maximum degreeof density and'resistance to the infiltration of moisture withoutcausing the undesired impurities to rise to itssurface.

With my present apparatus, I can apply vibration within the mass of concrete by inserting, at closely spacedintervalsandj to the full depth of themass, one or more vibratory units;

I may also simultaneously vibrate the con crete by the application of surface vibrations from a vibrating screed-like member, and this member may also be utilized to strike off and level the concrete.

In Figure 1, I show aframe i0. It is a box-like carriage construction and my subsequent description of Figures 2 andflapply to it and to vibrating elements i2 depending therefrom. The frame III is provided with supporting runners or wheels or the like I} adapted to travel on'side forms li of a subgrade l8. 'Suitable'holddown rods 22 are associated withthe side forms to retain them in position in the ordinary manner. Concrete or other plastic material is illustrated between the siderforms. The concrete deposited between the sidelfonns is initially roughly leveled off. The frame'span's theconcrete between the side forms I5. I

The framemay be provided with manipulating handles 24, preferably attached to the frame by rubber bands or the like 26 associated with pins 28 of the supporting member andhandlesjl. This method of attachment prevents transmission of vibrations from the frame III, .to the .handles 24 and is shown more in detail in my pivoted on a horizontal axis by means of pintles :2 mounted in brackets uj secured a; the bottom Ila of the box-like supporting element ill. The

ring 30 in turn supports pintles 36 'o'fthe vibrating element i2 which are arrangedon'anaxis at right angles tothe axis of the pintles 32.

By the universal mounting just described, it will'be, obvious that the vibrating elements. I2

will normally depend downwardly into the concrete mass 20, but can be deflected sidewise away from a center joint or the like shown at ll in Figure 1, or may be deflected rearwardly during travel of the carriage, or to pass over rocks 42 or other obstructions as shown at the left side of Figure 1. In Figure 2 it is aparent how they maybe rotated upwardly about the axis of the pintles 32' to slide over the topsof lateral reinforcing bars 44..

In combination with the vibrating elements, a finishing screed or planer 46 may be provided either connected as by a bracket 48 with the frame ill or independent of the vibrating element support; Thus after the concrete is compacted by the vibrating elements, it is leveled off to the desired contour by the finishing screed ll.

In Figure 4, 1 have shown another form of the invention including a frame 50, the front portionof which forms a strike-off screen and vibrating elements l2 supported thereon by flexible' connecting tubes 52 extending from elbows tion, a finishing screed ill may be provided having'a vibratormotor 82 and a vibrator weight for vibratingit and thereby subjecting the surface'of the concrete tovibratiom as it is finishedofl by the plate 60. f

Where desired an initial strikeeoff screed 6 maybe used to rough-level the surface prior to passing the finishing screed over it. Where the strike-oi! screed is used with the' vibrators I2 mounted as shown in Figures 1 and '2, the strikeof! screed may be also vibrated to some extent. Moreover, when the strike-off screed I6 '15 employed it is preferable to use power operation rather than hand operation for the frame 59, or theaframe Ill, whichever may be the one being use When the vibrating elements l2 or l2 as the case may be are operated within the plastic material 20, the energy from each element aflects the plastic mass to a considerable distance in every direction. The elements are sufliciently close together so that the area eachaflects overlaps the areas affected by the adjacent elements,

thus providing adequate vibration for the entire mass of the plastic material 20. When the apparatus is positioned as shown in Figure 1, it will vibrate the plastic mass over a zone of considerable width measured laterally from the longitudinal axis of the frame It; In operation, when the plastic mass 20 has been sufllciently vibrated at one location, the apparatus may be dragged or lifted to a new position longitudinally of the roadway or otherwise, and there allowed to operate for a suitable interval, and by successive movementsof this kind, the entire area of the plastic massmay be consolidated and'c'ompacted.

In many pavement and foundation structures where fixed objects occur, such as the center joints 40, large rocks 42, or reinforcing rods 44, the path of the vibrators must'be shiftable. If the elements l2 were rigidly attached to the frame ll, such objects might be displaced'irom their desired positions or the vibrating apparafinishing screed being located substantially at the level desired for thefinished surface of said I tus might be damaged or caused to operate inemciently. Therefore the vibrating elements are flexibly attached to the supporting member so that when objects are encountered, the vibrating elements may be easily deflected from their nor mal positions.

The type of apparatus shown in'Figure- 4 is especially designed for operation by continuously moving the frame 50 along the roadway'with the vibrating elements remaining continually in the concrete. 7 The elements may be dragged along while partially inserted in the concrete.

Ordinarily a planer or finishing screed like that shown in Figure 2 which is not provided with a. vibrator operates sufilciently to bring the surface of the concrete to the desired contour. When the concrete has an extremely nonfiowing characteristic, however, a vibrating finishing screed may be used, preceded if desired by a strike-off screed. The vibrating finishing closed, or the frame II! can be vibrated, for the purpose of vibrating all the elements-l2 and without the necessity of providing each one with a vibrating mechanism.

Some variations may be followed in the' practice of my invention without departing from the real spirit and purpose of my invention. Accordingly, it is my intention to cover by' my claims such equivalent structure as may be reasonably included within their scope.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an apparatus for treating material which becomes plastic when vibrated, the combination material, a vibrating member, mounted on the finishing screed for vibrating said last screed, and means on the carriag for actuating said vibrating element whereby 'the material being.

treated can be internally vibrated and surface vibrated during the travel of the apparatus;

2. In an apparatus for treating material which becomesplastic when vibrated, the combination of a carriage movable over the material, supporting elements at the ends of the carriage, an

elongated vibration imparting element connected to the carriage for extending at least partial 1y beneath the surface of the material, vibration creatingmeans within the'element and a finishing screed secured to the carriage in position rearward of the leading end of said vibrating element, said finishing screed being located subed on the finishing screed for vibrating said last stantially at the level desired for the finished surface of said material, a vibrating member mountscreed, and means on the carriage for actuating said vibrating element whereby the material being treated can beinternally vibrated and surface vibrated during the travel of the apparatus.

3. In-an apparatus for treating material retained within the sides of a form and which of a carriage movable over the material, sup-V porting elements at the ends of the carriage, an elongated vibrating element, flexible means for connecting said element to the carriage for extending at least partially beneath the surface of the material, and afinishing screed secured to the carriage in position rearward of the leading end of said vibrating element, said becomes plastic when vibrated, the combination I of an elongated carriage movable laterally with respect to its long dimension extending from.

side to side of said form, supporting elements at the ends of the carriage adapted to support the carriage on the form during movement therealong, a plurality of laterally spacedelongated.

vibrating elements connected to the carriage disposed transverse to the long dimension of the carriage extending at least partially beneath the surface of the material and substantially parallel to the direction of movement of the carriage,

and a finishing screed secured to the carriage,

parallel to the long dimension thereof and in position rearward of the leading end of said -vi- 7 brating elements, said finishing screed being located substantiallyat the level desired for the finished surface of said material, a vibrating memberv mounted on "the finishing screed for vibrating-said last screed, and means on the carriage for actuating said vibrating elements.

' ROBERT WILLIAM BAILY. 

